How Certain is Your Health?

The old adage goes: There are only two things that are truly certain in life…death & taxes. When it comes to our health, there is really nothing much more uncertain, because we never know what tomorrow holds. Uncertainty, when it comes to health, causes stress, anxiety and depression. If we can put the odds in our favor, increase health certainty, it can not only help to battle depression but it can increase our overall happiness. I hope to give you some insight into how to increase your odds of living the life of your health and happiness.

Sad Posture is not healthy.

What do we really want? We can all agree that happiness is the greatest thing a person can have. I remember going on a trip back in the late 1980’s to East Berlin, Germany. Although it was a wonderful trip and learning experience, what stuck in my mind most was observing a society of such unhappy individuals. On the outside, it looked like a typical city, but none of the people were smiling. There was some western music playing, and in fact, even a carnival I went to, but the people still didn’t smile. What makes us happy? There are many contributors to human happiness. However, there is one thing that research has shown that gives us the most happiness: Contribution.

Contribution = Decreased Depression

Contributing means giving. It means engaging in the world; it means helping others. Not only has this been determined to be the most rewarding thing we can do, but we in turn gain more than the people to whom we are giving. Who can be the contributors to society, and who are the “takers”? When not limited by physical health challenges, you can contribute with your body and soul; those who are fighting to regain their health, often have a much more difficult time giving of themselves and often struggle with depression.

When a person is sick or unhealthy, that person has to become “selfish” by focusing on getting better, on survival. In turn, making it more difficult to contribute when you are fighting to regain your health that has been lost. When we can’t/don’t contribute, it’s easy to see how that can lead to depression. That said since health is so uncertain and there are clearly no guarantees, how can we give ourselves the best chance to regain, and maintain good health to have that chance to contribute to our family, to our friends, to our community, and to society?

Our current health system in the United States is not about health at all. It is about treating disease with chemicals and surgery. In our “fear-based” model, you go to the doctor, take a bunch of tests, pray you don’t get that dreaded diagnosis, repeat the same process next year. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Happiness-Centric Health Care

Imagine, instead, a system that was empowering. A system that incentivized being healthy. One that helped you attain and maintain health through exercise, nutrition, and an often overlooked aspect of positive health: posture and ideal spinal structure. This concept is not new. Thomas Edison said it best: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” We just have not heeded this important message.

Health and Happiness Are Connected

Thus, if you truly want to fight or treat depression, then you will want to invest in your health now. You will realize that you have to exercise regularly. You’ll understand that body fat and diet are under your control. You’ll realize that health is not found in any bottle. You’ll also realize that the force of gravity is breaking down your body at an accelerated rate if your spinal structure deviates significantly from normal. The more “in line” and close to normal your spinal biomechanics are, the stronger your body will be to resist the constant, ongoing, degenerative force of nature that impacts us 24/7.

What does your internal structure look like? Will it give you the best chance for a long life of good health? Invest in your happier, healthier future. Invest now to be a contributor to your happiness now, and in the future. Don’t live in fear of loss of health. Improve the odds. Your health is within your control, much more than you may think.